As Mike once said, I love me some Target.
I went out to Geauga Lake today to knock out a few rides, but it was crazy busy with cars backed up and the main lot getting close to half-full. Good for GL, not so good my riding needs.
So I did the next best thing, and went to Target next door. Originally I was just going in for one of those exercise balls, because the massage therapist said it's good for working abs (and it comes with a video showing how to do those specific exercises). If that's what I need to alleviate back tension, I'm all for it.
From the sporting goods area I wandered into the outdoor seasonal stuff, and very nearly bought a three-foot Buddha. Fortunately $80 seemed too expensive to me. However, an outdoor rug for $68, while clearly all margin for Target, looked like exactly the thing I needed for my deck. It gets hot in the sun and I have sensitive feet!
Then I got to thinking about how great a new candle holder would be out there, so I got that too. I left the store $120 lighter than I started. Whoops!
But you know, I spend a lot of time out there these days, and I hope I can also entertain friends there now and then. The interior of my house if starting to really feel like my space, with furniture replacement or adjustments in every room. The exterior needs a ton of work, and I need to stop dragging my feet and call a landscaper to clean it up.
Try to be a LITTLE worldly, Ty. Think of how silly it seems to Buddhists that Christians wear a crucifix around their necks or have little plastic cartoony Jesuses in their yards during Christmas. Buddha has a big belly because he represents plenty. Open your mind a little. Buddha brings good luck!
I'll stick with palm trees and flamingos, thank you. AND the nicely landscaped back yard with lots of blooming things, tall ornamental grasses, a weeping cherry, japanese maple, the bird feeder and the wildlife being attracted, even in the 'burbs.
My back yard is my paradise in the spring, summer and fall...the one place I can rest and take in the beauty and RELAX.
So fill your back yard and landscape with things that please YOU because it sounds like with the hot tub, that is your place to relax as well.
One bit of advice, go with perennials that come back and bloom every year. MUCH less work.